Local Poles celebrate the life of the newest saint, Pope John Paul II

Saturday

Apr 26, 2014 at 6:00 AM

A Polish Church in South Boston will hold several events celebrating the life of the Polish-born Pope John Paul II, who will become a saint along with Pope John XXIII in ceremonies on Sunday at the Vatican.

Fred Hanson The Patriot Ledger @Fhanson_Ledger

BOSTON - The elevation to sainthood of Pope John Paul II is important not only to Catholics and his fellow Poles, but to people across the world, said Andrzej Pronczuk of Milton.

“He traveled extensively around the world,” visiting more than 100 countries throughout the world during his 27 years as pope, said Pronczuk, who is president of the Polish Cultural Foundation. “Thanks to his efforts, there was a big change in Eastern and Central Europe.

John Paul II and John XXIII, who was pope from 1958 to 1963, will be elevated to sainthood on Sunday at the Vatican.

John Paul II’s second overseas trip was to his native country in June, 1979, and Pronczuk was there to greet him on his motorcade from the airport to downtown Warsaw. “There were so many people welcoming him on the streets,” Pronczuk said.

During a Mass in Poland, John Paul endorsed the efforts of Poles dissatisfied with Communist rule. “He expressed his solidarity with the people of Poland and the people who wanted change in Poland,” Pronczuk said.

Later that year, John Paul made his first trip to the United States, which began in Boston with John Paul kneeling to kiss the tarmac at Logan International Airport.

Thousands lined the route of a motorcade through the city, with an estimated 500,000 people attending an open air Mass at the Boston Common which took place in a heavy rain. Here, John Paul displayed his sense of humor. “I greet you, America the beautiful,” John Paul said. “Beautiful even if it rains.”

A park along the Neponset River in Dorchester and a parochial elementary school in Boston are named for John Paul II.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley is in Rome for the canonization ceremonies, said Terry Donilon, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

Donilon said seminarians from the Blessed Pope John XXIII National Cemetery in Weston are making a pilgrimage to Sunday’s ceremonies. John XXIII is best known for calling the Second Vatican Council, which introduced reforms to the church.

Our Lady of Czestochowa Church in South Boston, which serves the Polish community, will be celebrating the canonization all weekend. A photographic exhibition which has toured nationally, “John Paul II, the Holy Man: To the Ends of the Earth,” will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the church hall, 655 Dorchester Ave.

The church will hold a special Mass of Thanksgiving for the Life of John Paul II at 11 a.m. Sunday, followed by a concert by the church choir and children’s choir.

The Polish Amateur Theater will perform a play written by John Paul II, titled “The Jeweler’s Shop” at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the church.

The Catholic TV Network will provide live cable TV and Internet coverage of the canonization Mass, celebrated by Pope Francis, at 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Rebroadcasts are scheduled at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.